bbfan

Row B in the mezzanine should be just fine. You will be closer to the stage than in the dress circle and many of the orchestra seats. (I forget which row the balcony overhangs in the orchestra.) You are right that the first row of the balcony is row E behind the mezzanine (which might have been called first balcony prior to theater renovation years ago). We used to have season tickets up there (row A and also row B) and liked it very much. Even if you are to the side the stage is quite large and there is lots going on all over. You should have a wonderful time!

Eli, you are right, The dress circle is in the back and up, between orchestra and mezzanine, and there is a section of special box seats at the back of the orchestra. These are also the seats designated as accessible for handicapped and their companions. They have movable chairs instead of fixed seats which is nice for people who need extra leg room or want to move the chair a bit. Looking at the Wang seating chart, the dress circle boxes are designated by letters (box A, B, etc.) and the orchestra boxes by numbers (1,2, etc.). Sorry for any confusion caused by my earlier reply.

Row P in the orchestra is the row behind the cross aisle, and it is nice not to have anyone sitting directly in front.... the box seats are the dress circle. With regard to tickets, I doubt there are scalpers at work, but people do tend to get their tickets early, and with the uncertainty of where Nutcracker will be next year, and in the interest in showing support this year, sales are pretty good. That is why you might have more choice with a post 12/25 performance (though I haven't looked to see what is available when...) I do hope you come. It is a nice experience, with the performance, the children in the audience, the decorations in the theater, etc. A very happy atmosphere. PS Even though we've been telling you our favorite seats, that doesn't mean you wouldn't be happy in other seats. We were in row W left orch for the Kirov, farther back than we'd usually sit, and I was happy to find we had a good line of sight and were close enough to enjoy the dancers.... Being in the back of the orchestra section is better than being in the back of the balcony.

PS With children, or any other shorter people, I'd avoid row A of the mezzanine. The wall in front is too tall and broad for smaller people to see over comfortably. I'm 5'6" and if we sit there I sometimes have to crane my neck to see dancer's feet if they are at the front of the stage. I've seen some pretty disappointed shorter people who thought the front row mezzanie would be great and discovered they couldn't see well. Then they lean forward and annoy the people in the rows behind who can't see past them etc. etc. Better to be in row B or farther back ....

My favorite seats for children at the Wang are row D in the mezzanine. This is the last row of the mezzanine so children can stand up in their seats if they are having trouble seeing and not bother people behind them. There is an aisle/walkway and then the balcony starts.... Also you are closer to the stage than in many of the orchestra seats, and have a nice view of the patterns of the dance. I know dido didn't mind the back of the balcony but for me it is way too high and too far, and some of the visual effects of Nutcracker - tree growing, balloon flying - could be lost. I suppose row E in the balcony would be okay too, just a little farther and higher but with the aisle in front no heads to dodge. In the Wang orchestra I prefer the side sections to the center - even though the center seats are staggered it seems to me the angle is better the way the seats are arranged - a better chance for seeing between heads. It is also slightly less expensive than the center section. If you can get side aisle seats (1,3 or 2,4) all the better. Some people who go a lot think row J or K are best. The Wang does have a web site and you can look at a seating chart there. There will be a lot of children in the audience, especially at a matinee, so it is likely you will have children in front of you too. I don't recall the Wang offering booster seats. When we were taking little ones we had some contraptions that were made of cloth and velcro that could be attached to seat arms. I forget where we bought them.... The kids used them but I'm not sure they were really comfortable. And if you did put your child on your lap, you wouldn't be the only one. I think the point is more that each person needs to have a ticket for a seat, to keep occupancy legal among other reasons. The Wang is usually very well decorated for the holiday, and I think there will be volunteers dressed as Nutcracker characters wandering around for children to meet, so plan to come a little early and enjoy the scene. There is a Mother Ginger with polichinelles, that is one of the favorite parts of act II for youngsters (a little rest from all the dancing!) There are lots of children in the production, in both acts I and II - this is a child-oriented production. The gingerbread children you see in the photos are in act I, when "toy" versions of the characters who will dance in the second act are under the tree. There is some new choreography for act II but Mother Ginger will be that same. I don't go to enough Nutcrackers to comment on which are the best performances to see. Sometimes it is easier to get good tickets for the performances after Christmas, if you can wait until then. We have gone both before and after Christmas Day and enjoyed it regardless of the day. Sorry I can't help on the question of when to see it but if you have any other questions I'll try to help.

Seems to me the overture should be a signal for the audience to quiet down and get in the mood for the performance to come, not to keep talking. I felt lucky the people behind us included a woman who made sure everyone had their cell phones off, and discretely shushed the people with her when they showed signs of talking at inappropriate times. It was nice to be seated near a thoughtful person. (Only slightly off set by the couple next to us who had their water bottles and chocolate bars handy, both forbidden in the Wang seats. Fortunately they saved their snacking for intermissions.) As for seating latecomers, I was surprised to see that at the Kirov performance. BB is still pretty strict about not seating latecomers after the house lights are down. I thought it was a theater policy but maybe the policy is set by the organization performing. Another difference noted between Kirov and BB - more fur coats at Kirov!

Alexandra, Thanks for the compliment! Also for the link to the Mariinsky site. As for enjoying the home town company (in my case Boston Ballet), I don't think there is anything to be embarrassed about! I find pleasure in watching dancers who are familiar, I can appreciate the differences in their various performances, their growth, compare them to others, etc. And it is always fun to have some newcomer to root for. It helps that in Boston the company skill level has increased so very much over the last 10 years or so, so it is not a case of liking a middling company better than a good company. I guess it is a more subjective experience though. I also agree with the comment that it can be hard to compare companies that have very different styles and types of training.... it becomes a matter of taste as to which style is preferred. Finally, I think enjoying a performance by another company, Kirov or NYCB or Royal Danish (to pick three very different ones) and appreciating their skill doesn't detract from enjoying Boston or whatever other company is more familiar. We are so lucky to be able to see them all!

I wouldn't claim this is a better educated view, but it is a different view: Last night we saw the Kirov perform their Fokine program in Boston. The first piece was “Chopiniana”. I am more familiar with the revision we see here as “Les Sylphides”. I’ve never seen “Les Sylphides” danced to a tempo as slow as that of “Chopiniana”last night and am sorry to admit that instead of being enthralled at times I had trouble keeping my eyes open. Nevertheless I was impressed by the Corps. Aside from the precision of their dancing they are similar in appearance to an extent that makes our American companies seem more diverse than they perhaps are. After a long intermission the next piece was “Scheherazade.” The rich sets and costumes offered a welcome relief to the somewhat dull backdrop for “Chopiniana” and the scrim displayed during the loooong overture. My first reaction was one of disappointment though, there was not a lot of dancing. However, I began to think of this as a period piece, and to think of how an audience in 1910 might have reacted, and came to appreciate it more. I could almost imagine Nijiinsky whirling around the stage as the Golden Slave…. My favorite scene was the slaughter at the end. I’m not a bloodthirsty person, but there was a gracefulness to the appearance and dispatch of the harem and slaves. Another long intermission, another loooong overture, and on to “Firebird.” Of the three pieces this is the one I would enjoy seeing again. The costumes looked familiar. Several years ago the National Dance Museum in Saratoga had a special display on “Firebird”, and I think these costume designs were illustrated there. Tatiana Amosova was a convincing firebird, and there were dancing friends, threatening monsters, etc. to enjoy. Again, the precision of the Corps was impressive. I found some of the dancing by the captives and monsters reminiscent of the tavern scene in Balanchine’s “Prodigal Son.” Perhaps this was an example of Fokine’s influence on him? “Firebird” is in two scenes, the first one comprising about 90% of the piece, and the second one quite short. Unfortunately the first scene ends dramatically with the destruction of Kastchel’s soul, thunder and lightening, and an opaque black scrim falling. Unfortunately because some in the audience thought that was the end of the performance, applauded, and got up to leave! I was not impressed by the orchestra. It is a good orchestra but not a great one. During “Scheherazade” the violins sounded too screechy at one point, and during “Firebird” the brass sounded tinny. Overall the tone of the orchestra seemed thin. I have been spoiled by ballet accompanied by excellent orchestras. We also found the overtures for all three pieces to be very long. I began to wonder if something had gone wrong back stage so they were not ready to dance after all, but now assume it is a stylistic difference in how they present ballet. What is the company called in Russia? The ads, tickets, and program call it the Kirov, but inside the program it is called the Mariinsky Ballet and Orchestra. I’m wondering if they use Kirov when touring, because it is a more familiar name from the recent past? We have friends who were planning to see every performance. I’m glad to have seen what we saw, but would not want to see the same program again. It would be interesting to see if the Kirov would have the speed for a Balanchine program, and it could be wonderful to see them do “Swan Lake.” As it is, it was useful to see these versions of Fokine’s ballets for their historical context and the pleasure of some of the dance moments.

And since we're keeping these in one place: In the Boston Phoenix, Jeffrey Gantz comments on Boston Ballet's Nutcracker/Wang situation: The Nutcracker (continued). (You'll need to scroll down in article to find this section....)

We went to the Nutcracker the year it was in the Hynes. It was a relatively last-minute situation, the then-Metropolitan had roof trouble and there was a need to relocate while it was repaired. I don't remember how much in advance of the season that happened; it might even have been after the fall season had started. At the time, the Hynes space was quite sterile, and I recall feeling that it detracted from the performance. However, the Hynes has been refurbished since then, and with sufficient lead time it could be that the space would be more charming. We sat in a balconey area with good sightlines; I don't know what the floor seats were like and don't remember how the orchestra was accommodated. I think the Hynes location - in Copley Square area - would be a good location for an arts center. Lots of parking around, very good access via public transportation, restaurants etc. The things I mentioned elsewhere I'd like to have. Another location that has been mentioned for possible Nutcracker is a new theater in the new convention center on the waterfront. The building isn't finished so have no idea what that would be like. The location feels like 'can't get there from here' because of the road construction, one would hope that would improve.... I guess we'll hear in a few weeks. Meanwhile, we can look forward to Nutcracker this year in the Wang.

I think that the Wang has always, at least in recent times, presented a mix of non-profit and for-profit productions. You could even imagine that the profits made from the touring Broadway shows were used to subsidize the non-profit productions. That might even be considered a good thing.... what is not a good thing is throwing out a non-profit organization that has had a long standing relationship, and on relatively short notice too. Maybe if the Wang only had for-profit shows it would lose its non-profit status. I don't know enough how that works. Boston Ballet did reduce the number of performances this year with its compressed three week schedule instead of disbursed two week runs, but I thought that was supposed to be good for the Wang because it gave the Wang larger blocks of time for booking the Broadway shows. I don't think anyone anticipated getting the Nutcracker kicked out. The good news is that there is a lot of community support for Boston Ballet finding a good home for its Nutcracker next year and after. It isn't only about the $$ for Boston Ballet, though that is important of course. It is also the community involvement in the production - the many children who perform, and the many children who attend. There is a lot of community outreach with Nutcracker - special performances for school children, subsidized tickets for under privileged children who wouldn't attend a ballet otherwise, special events for handicapped children, etc.

Something like Kennedy Center or Lincoln Center would be nice... finding a good space for in could be a challenge. There is an area near the waterfront but that would be expensive and not so easy to get to, even after the Big Dig is done. Somerville could be an interesting choice... I'm leading us off topic though.

In case you'd like to express an opinion, The Boston Channel (ch. 5) is doing a poll: What holiday show would you rather see at the Wang Center? Follow this link to vote in the poll

In the world of my dreams, the Boston area has a performing arts center that is easily accessible by car and by public transportation, has ample well designed parking (no 45 minute waits to escape after a performance), several theaters of varying sizes to accommodate various performances and with good sight lines from all the seats, and access to eateries of varying types and price ranges. All with good food and attuned to the need for patrons to make curtain times. Did I leave anything out? Oh yes, a commitment to the organizations that perform there! In the real world, I expect Boston Ballet will find another venue and cope with the impact. Ironic that this came out in the paper on national Take Back Your Time Day, geared to thinking less about the bottom line and more about quality of life.

We saw Don Quixote last night, and had the pleasure of seeing many of the new dancers in the company. Lorna Feijoo danced Kitri/Dulcinea. WOW! She has the fasted feet I’ve seen in a long time, and was rock steady on pointe. Yury Yanowsky as Basilio was more relaxed and in character than I’ve noticed in the past. I think she brought out the best in him. He made some wonderful leaps and turns. We enjoyed many of the other dancers – Sarah Lamb as the Street Dancer, Nelson Madrigal as Espada, and Barbora Kohoutkova as the Queen of the Dryads. But Feijoo was the best. Overall I thought the company looked really good, the corps in tune, and while we may miss some of our old favorites I’m looking forward to getting to know the new dancers and their talents. I’m not a big fan of most story ballets. I haven’t really liked Don Q in the past and wasn’t especially looking forward to another one, but aside from the snoozer first scene found it really enjoyable. It’s the first time I’ve really been caught up in it - a happy surprise. In addition to the fine dancing and music, I found the sets and costumes appealing. The gypsy blacks and reds and oranges are fitting for a New England autumn…. Next weekend is the rep program, will be interesting to see that too. Then more Don Q. I'm not sure of the casting for the second round of Don Q - Gelfand has her farewell appearances on the Thursday and Saturday nights. But if you have a chance to see Feijoo - go for it!

Here's some interesting news from the world of sports and ballet: Boston Ballet's Citydance has been chosen to be one of the recipients of funds from the Tiger Woods Foundation/Deutsche Bank Championship. This tournament is being held locally at The Tournament Players Club in Norton MA from August 26th through September 1st. You can read about CityDance at the bank's site. There is also a menu choice there to read about Tiger Wood's foundation.

Some of my thoughts on the Van Dantzig version of R&J just seen: We saw Romeo and Juliet twice. In general, I found this version disappointing. (Many of my impressions were matched those in Jeffrey Gantz’ review in the Boston Phoenix - see Links for 5/15/03.) Rudi Van Dantzig’ production is very dark, figuratively and literally. The previous two versions Boston Ballet performed used sets by Alain Vaës. The sets were beautiful, and changed mood effectively with changed lighting. The Van Schayk sets, while clever in execution, present a bleak environment, dark and foreboding. The tomb scenery is minimal, with a single bier wheeled in poorly hidden behind people carrying a curtain. Lighting is also dark, and does not indicate the time of day or mood - unless you accept a joyless Verona. When R&J wake in J’s bed the room is dark, there is no light at the window, no indication that morning has come. Ditto on J’s wedding morning, when the bridesmaids arrive to wake her. In other versions the Montagues and Capulets are both strong houses, answering to the Duke of Verona. In this version the Capulets dominate, with the Montagues seeming to be a rag tag group and the Duke a visitor passing through. I also felt the choreography did not convey a clear story line, and there were some anomalies. In a too practical moment I found myself wondering how Juliet could enter her bedroom, where her parents and Paris are waiting for her, and not be questioned about her whereabouts and by-the-way what is in the large vial you are carrying so openly? I especially miss the drama of the final scene in the Pelzig version, with the two families entering the tomb, interweaving, finding their children, and reconciling, sealing the sense of tragedy. In this bleak version I found myself thinking R&J could be better off having escaped to the next level of existence. Nevertheless, on the first Saturday I was very moved by the performance. We saw Pollyana Ribeiro as Juliet, Simon Ball as Romeo, Raul Salamanca took over the role of Tybalt for an injured Plotnikov, and Paul Thrussell was Mercutio. I particularly enjoyed and appreciated Ribeiro’s performance. She was very expressive, and danced beautifully, including a long passage of bourrées as she seemed to glide across the stage. I thought she conveyed the passage from innocent youth to one in love effectively. I also enjoyed Thrussell as Mercutio, though as usual the death scene for him and for Tybalt seems to go on forever. Although this was not Simon Ball’s last performance (that was this afternoon) it was the last time for us to see him, and he also will be missed. Last night we saw Jennifer Gelfand as Juliet, Paul Thrussell as Romeo, Yury Yanowsky as Tybalt, and Jared Redick as Mercutio. I am not among Gelfand’s legion of enthusiastic fans, and did not particularly enjoy her performance. I did not find her credible as a young girl discovering love, but instead thought she was rather expressionless. Perhaps if we sat farther back.... Where Ribeiro bourréed backwards across the stage Gelfand came off point quickly, took a couple of steps to turn, and ran? jumped? I don’t remember. People sitting near us thought she was wonderful, so .... There was a special poignancy to Thrussell’s performance, and a wonderful ovation for him at the end. Aside from Thrussell the person I enjoyed most in his role was Yanowsky. He has the right sort of brooding look for Tybalt. Though it is unlikely, I would prefer Boston Ballet returning to the Pelzig choreography, with Vaës sets, costumes and lighting from that production, etc. Meanwhile I look forward to the pleasures of next season.

Romeo and Juliet opens next week, May 8. Boston Ballet's web site now has a ticket discount offer along with the first week's casting.

We usually see each program twice, and especially like it when we can see different casts. We often find ourselves enjoying the second performance more than the first, even with ballets that are already familiar to us. Partly us getting into it, partly the company having that many additional peformances under their belts. The first Sat night we saw Sarah Lamb in Ballo, and last night it was Pollyana Ribiero. Much as I like Sarah, Pollyana was much more comfortable in the role and did a really good job. The corps was also excellent. This is one of my husband's three favorite ballets, and he thought last night's performance was the best since seeing Merrill Ashley (his very favorite dancer) dance it. Better even than recent NYCB performances. Both times we saw Movements Melanie Atkins and Jered Redick were dancing the leads, and I really enjoyed Melanie. This may be a better role for her than Siren. We were sitting close to the front and I had the feeling even her eyelids were choreographed! (Are they?) I'm not really fond of Prodigal Son. The first night we saw Simon Ball and Karla Kovatch, and last night Yury Yanowsky and April Ball. Kovatch is a member of the corps; I was glad to see her have this opportunity and thought she did well in the role. The biggest surprise to me was an ovation for April Ball after her performance, with many flowers thrown on the stage, many bouquets delivered - one by her brother, and dancers in their street clothes coming out on stage to applaud. She had danced well but this was obviously more than congrats on a good performance. I hadn't heard that she is leaving but all this leads to that conclusion. Too bad. With regard to Prodigal, I also found the ending cold, so I'm interested in the alternative interpretations. I'll have to keep that in mind if I see it again. Meanwhile I'm glad to be seeing more and different Balanchine next year, and also look forward to Romeo and Juliet next month.

One of my friends just tried booking rooms at the Holiday Inn for mid-July (7/10-12) and found them booked up, ditto the Inn at Saratoga across the street, so she got the last couple of rooms at the Hilton. Seems early for these hotels to be sold out since I think it is before race season starts. Is this typical or is there something else going on? (I'd like to think it is all the ballet fans converging to see NYCB, but somehow doubt that....)

We saw La Fille again on Saturday night, with Sarah Lamb as Lise, Carlos Acosta as Colas, Paul Thrussell as Widow Simone, and Joel Prouty as Alain. We enjoyed the performance even more than the previous week. Sarah Lamb was terrific, very steady in her turns supported only by ribbons, and smiling throughout while she did them. I think one of the reviews said that Acosta's acting wasn't as good as his technique - it had improved by Sat night but was still outshown by technique. His leaps and turns were amazing. I thought he projected a more boyish image than Simon Ball had, and that Sarah Lamb seemed a bit more mature Lise than Pollyana Ribeiro (ironic given their respective ages) so it would have been interesting to see an Acosta/Ribeiro pair and a Ball/Lamb pair. Acosta/Lamb gave strong performances, and it wasn't apparent that this was their fourth straight night doing it. They must have been exhausted but it didn't show. I enjoyed Joel Prouty more as Alain, and of course Thrussell was still very fine as Simone. It seemed that the corps was enjoying themselves a bit more. We often notice improvements the second week, the result of more practice and comfort doing a piece.

Here are a few comments on La Fille mal gardee, which we saw last night. We had the opening night casting, with Pollyana Ribeiro as Lise, Simon Ball as Colas, Ilya Kozadayev as Alain, and Paul Thrussell as Widow Simone. Raymond Lukens, ballet master and director of BBII, was Thomas. The light hearted tone of the ballet is set early on, when the curtain goes up to a scrim showing a stylized, sunny rural landscape, and continuing early in the first act with the appearance of the cock and hens. Great costumes - had to chuckle watching them. Ribeiro is a natural for Lise (and I couldn’t help but think of certain 16 year olds watching her). She and Ball had several lovely dance moments together, and their first act pas was a pleasure to watch. Thrussell was fine as Widow Simone, both in his acting and dancing. Bring on the clogs. I found Alain to be very irritating, which may only mean Kozadayev had the role down pat. We’ll see La Fille again next weekend and then, if we see a different Alain, I’ll be better able to judge if it was him or the role. Overall I found this to be an entertaining confection, and a good respite from the gloomy world (weather- and event-wise) outside the theater. Youngsters seated near us seemed to enjoy it immensely, so I can recommend it as a good way to bring the younger set to see a ballet.

balletmama: Do you mean Sarah Lamb from Boston Ballet? Sounds like an interesting evening, sorry we couldn't be there. Thanks for the write-up.

I'm also disappointed by the schedule, heavy on story ballets, light on rep. In general we prefer rep programs - though understand that story ballets draw bigger audiences from the general public. And especially like Balanchine and Robbins, so that's what we like to see NYCB do the most. Not interested in seeing multi performances of Dream or Swan Lake or Coppelia. Looks like July 11/12 would most suit our needs, but we won't be making any plans for quite a while.

We love going to Saratoga to see NYCB. In fact, we now do that instead of going down to NYC to see them. I agree with advice to get indoor seats. In addition to the good reasons already cited, we have experienced torrential rains often enough to be glad to be under cover. The weather is unpredictable. Often it has been very hot, sometimes we have bundled up against the cold. Of course you can make a good guess of what to expect close to the time. And bring mosquito repellent, even if you are sitting inside. When you go, do plan to spend some time at the National Dance Museum. It is sometimes possible to observe NYCB's summer classes held there as well as enjoying the exhibits. We usually stay at the Holiday Inn. Not the place if you want charm, but it is a decent motel reasonably priced when it is not race week. Its location makes it very fast and easy to get to SPAC but it is also an easy walk to the pleasures of Saratoga shops and restaurants. I'd avoid the gala performance unless you are one of the social crowd. During the performance we found the loud hum of conversations in and out of the theater very distracting, annoying and disrespectful of the dancers, who were doing a great job. (The fireworks afterwards were nice though.)